‘Really? Can’t say I’ve ever heard of him.’

While Lotus PR’s West Coast office represented countless athletes, Hannah’s interest in sports just about extended to the games she used to go to with Rob.

‘Yup, he’s a legendary jerk. Cute though.’

Great.

Intrigued, she’d briefly scanned McKenzie’s online presence in the meantime, though as a general rule, Hannah preferred not to know too much about any client ahead of meeting them in person, so as not to cloud her judgement.

But even basic research on the athlete seemed to suggest that her friend had a point. The most cursory online search suggested a boozing womaniser with a penchant for brawling and shooting his mouth off. ‘WildCat’ McKenzie didn’t seem to have that great of a player achievement record to support such an inflated ego.

No personal social media that she could find either, but that was a good thing, given his apparent lack of decorum. Nor professional photographs other than generic team shots in full player garb and helmet, or blurry snapshots and video footage taken by the public of McKenzie falling out of bars and getting into drunken scrapes. Clearly, she had some work to do to turn his reputation around, and she figured that her new bosses were truly testing her mettle with this guy. WildCat indeed.

Hannah picked up her purse and headed for the foyer, whereupon she spied another note beneath the door.

Another delivery for you downstairs. Next time somebody calls on me to take a package meant for you, I’m gonna hurl it out the window. P-1

She stood there for a moment, mentally counting to ten.

Great – not only did she have to tackle an egotistical Neanderthal for work, but at home needed to contend with another entitled male who, age aside, still hadn’t figured out how to behave like an adult.

Story of her life.

She tried her best to keep an open mind, but the moment Hannah entered the Hell’s Kitchen bar McKenzie had suggested – or rather insisted upon – for this evening’s meeting, she found her initial estimation of the guy sink even further.

The place was a dump; dark, nasty-smelling and full of TVs with the sound up so loud she could barely hear herself think. Which was probably exactly why he’d chosen it. But he presumably hadn’t reckoned on Hannah’s heritage and that, unlike Zoe who detested Irish bars, she was right at home in places like this.